Feel the Burn
by Dencin
Summary: A retired policeman attempts to rekindle a romance between his son, who is a member of the fire and rescue squad, and his old flame, who quit her job as a publicist and is returning home after a nasty breakup with her fiancé. (Inspired by the movie: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (2008)
1. Chapter 1 - Anna

Anna smiled softly as she exited the cab of the taxi in front of a familiar red brick building. It was a two story ranch-style house that sat at the end of a dead end drive on the outskirts of the city. The house used to belong to her parents, but after their death it was inherited by her older sister, Elsa. It brought back memories, both happy and sad. Pushing them aside, she turned to look back at the taxi driver, who had just unloaded her four suitcases from the back of the car. She gave him a smile and thanked him, before starting her way up the white stone steps leading up to the front door.

She lifted her hand to knock, unsure if she should just barge on in. Especially after her unceremonious departure from the house in the first place. Furrowing her brow, she steeled herself and knocked on the door and waited…

And waited…

And waited some more.

She sighed and walked back down the steps to where her suitcases were and sat down on one of them. It wasn't unlike Elsa to not answer when she knocked, as she did that quite frequently after their parents died.

Does she even want me here? Anna wondered to herself as she glanced up at the large house. Of course she does, we're sisters. She loves me…

Despite the fact that she believed that, Elsa wasn't answering. So she got up and walked determinedly up the stair and tried the door.

Locked.

Groaning, she stomped down the steps and sat on the stoop, her head resting grumpily in her hands. Where was Elsa? It wasn't as if her sister didn't know she was coming today. The sound of gravel crunching under tires soon reached her ears and she stood up. Her hand shielded her face from the sun as she watched an unfamiliar car coming down the dirt driveway. However, a smile soon broke out on her face as she realized who was driving the car.

"Elsa!" She called out, jumping up from her seat and darting to the car as it parked in front of the house.

She bounced impatiently while waited for Elsa, who was taking her time, to get out of the car. As she started in for a hug, Elsa's hands flew up between them as she gasped in fear, causing Anna to freeze with her arms still outstretched. Elsa looked a little mortified, with an embarrassed blush staining her cheeks. Sure they hadn't been close since their parent's died… but Anna had hoped…

"Hi." Elsa said, seeming at a loss for what to say.

Anna stood there, momentarily speechless before finding some words to speak.

"Oh, um.. Hi." Anna replied, awkwardly.

"You look beautiful." Elsa said with a smile, reaching out to touch her sister's shoulder.

"Thank you." Anna beamed, before adding, "You look beautifuller. I mean, not fuller. You don't look fuller, but more beautiful."

Anna sighed heavily at her blundering, while Elsa gave a small sound of amusement.

"I'm glad you're here." Elsa said, turning to lead the way towards the house.

"You are?" Anna asked, a little shocked before recovering. "I mean, you are! So am I. I missed this place. And you."

She quickly followed after her, stopping only to collect her luggage and clamber up the stoop and into the house. A small bead of sweat had formed on her brow by that time, and she sighed as she set the luggage down in the foyer.

"It's warmer here than I remember." Anna said, wiping her brow. "It's a lot colder, in New York."

"I seem to recall you liking the warm weather?" Elsa asked, grabbing two of her four suitcases and leading her up the stairs towards Anna's old room.

As they entered, Anna noted that it hadn't changed a bit since she left for New York, nine years ago. It made her both happy, and sad.

"Well… I'll let you get unpacked." Elsa said, setting the suitcases down. "Do you care for takeout?"

"Only if it's Kai's kung pao chicken." Anna grinned.

"Fine, but they don't deliver, so you will have to go pick it up. The keys are downstairs by the door." Elsa informed.

"Do you still have my bike?" Anna asked.

"You can look in the shed, around back." Elsa offered, before exiting her room.

Anna smiled and flopped down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. However, her smile soon faded and she sat back up. Unpacking could wait, needed to wait. She bounced up off her bed, out of her room, and was down the stairs in the blink of an eye; her stomach rumbling at the thought of Chinese takeout.


	2. Chapter 2 - Kristoff

Kristoff grunted as he braced his feet as water burst from the open end of the fire hose that he and five others were gripping. They arced the spray across the burning building, sweat beading down the side of Kristoff's face. Luckily for them, no one was home when the house caught fire so it was straight-forward call: put the fire out. No rescues, no—

A high pitched wailing just barely reached his ears and he looked back to see a young girl, no older than six, fighting against her mother's arms. It wasn't unusual for a kid to be upset that their house was on fire. Most of them had attachments to their toys, and he attempted to focus on his current task to direct the hose.

Movement in his peripherals caught his attention, and he barely had time to react. With five other men holding the hose, he didn't second guess his decision to release it and reach out for the small child that was sprinting towards the house. He caught hold of her arm as she attempted to run past, and hoisted her into the air and up on his hip.

"Whoa there, kid. What are you doing?" He reprimanded, looking at her with disapproval.

She was sobbing, tears streaming down her face as she pointed towards the house.

"Tibby!" She cried, reaching towards the house.

His brow furrowed as he turned, walking her back to her parents.

"I'm sure they can buy you a new Tibby." He said, imagining some stuffed animal.

"Oh, thank you." The mother cried, relieved as she darted up to them. "I looked away for a second…"

"Tibby!" The girl wailed again as Kristoff placed the child in her mother's arms.

A pained look crossed the woman's face and Kristoff felt off about it.

"Ma'am, is there a pet in the house?" He asked, adrenaline spiking through him.

"Yes, her kitten, Tibby." the mother said, "But I'm sure he's gotten out…"

Kristoff didn't want to take that chance.

"Where do you leave the cat when you leave?" He barked.

As soon as he received the information he needed, he sprinted towards the Chief; his father.

"Sir, there's a cat inside." Kristoff relayed, opening the side of the firetruck to retrieve his mask.

"Kristoff, it's probably dead already." He said.

"Pabbie, I have to try for that little girl." Kristoff pleaded.

A moment passed, and he watched his father's expression for his permission. Not like he would listen to him anyways.

"I'm going." Kristoff said, doning his mask and sprinting into the house.

The house was filled with thick smoke, obscuring his vision as he made his way through the house. He was thankful for his uniform, as he pushed through a wall of fire to reach his destination. The mother said they put the kitten in the laundry room when they left, so he was praying that it was still alive.

Creaking above alerted him to the weakening of the house's structure, and he pushed forwards, reaching the door to the room. Due to the heat from the fire, and the water, the door had expanded and he stepped back. Lifting his right foot he reared back and kicked the door in, in one swift motion. The door splintered and snapped open, allowing him entrance to the untouched room.

He looked around, scanning quickly over the piles of laundry. A faint mewing reached his ears and he located the animal cowering behind the dryer.

"Come on Tibby. I got ya." He said, effortlessly pulling the dryer out of the way.

The cat was terrified, to say the least, so he was expecting him to run out of the room as soon as he was discovered. Smoke inhalation made the kitten weak, so Kristoff was able to thwart it's attempt to escape. He picked up the kitten and tucked him into the inside pocket of his jacket.

"Hang tight." He said before starting out of the room, just as the roof above him collapsed.

Pabbie frowned as he looked towards the entrance of the house.

"Come on, Kristoff, where are ya…" He said quietly to himself, as if saying it would make his son materialize.

The sound of creaking reached his ears, and his heart plummeted as he watched the roof cave in on the house. He let out a gust of air that he didn't know he'd been holding as he watched a soot-covered Kristoff stumble out of the house, ripping his mask off and gasping for air.

Kristoff couldn't pull in enough of the clean air fast enough. He had thought he was a goner when the roof collapsed. His father was the first to run up to him, clasping his shoulder.

"That was a fool thing you did." He reprimanded before pulling him in for a hug. "But I'm damn proud of you."

An angry mewl sounded as the men hugged, and Kristoff backed up and pulled the kitten from his jacket.

"Be right back, pa." He said, moving towards the little girl and her mother.

Pabbie watched with a smile as his son handed over the small kitten and the young girl wrap her arms around him. He briefly wondered when Kristoff would settle down and give him a grandchild to spoil, but knew that wasn't a good topic for him. As Kristoff returned to the group, Pabbie turned to the rest of the men as they continued to hose down the house.

"Hope you boys like Chinese." He bellowed with a smile, "Dinner's on me."


	3. Chapter 3 - Anna

It had taken the better part of half an hour for her to dislodge her bike from the packed depths of the storage shed, after she'd found the correct one; that had been a chore in and of itself. Now she was coasting leisurely down the road to town. As she made her way towards the small town, she realized how much she actually missed her home. She still knew the fastest path to the Chinese place, and a wistful smile pulled at her lips.

How naive she'd been, thinking that her life was going to change for the better when she met Hans. He'd been charming and all around the perfect boyfriend. Being trapped, or so she felt like, in this small town, she thought her life was passing her by and she took the first chance she could to get out of here. Even if that chance involved marrying Hans.

She knew that it had been talked about, rumors of her being pregnant spurred by the talk of the quick plans to marry. Thankfully, she felt like she'd dodged a bullet by leaving. While Hans wasn't completely demeaning to her, he still treated her no better than a servant. She recalled the night it started.

 _Anna walked into the house, only to find Hans reclining on his chair and was browsing some sort of website featuring cars. Her blue eyes looked over the living room, finding it an utter mess. Dishes and trash littered the glass coffee table, and random bits of clothes were strewn on the ground._

 _"Would it hurt you to pick up after yourself?" Anna chastised, hanging her coat in the closet._

 _"That's what I have you for." He said sweetly._

 _"No, I've had a long day at work and I'm not coming home to clean up after you." She said, crossing her arms, "Especially when you don't even go to work."_

 _In truth, they both didn't have to work as they both had received a large inheritance. However, Anna still liked to be active and meet people and feel like she was making a difference._

 _An irritated look flashed across Hans' face and her eyes narrowed at him._

 _"Please, Anna. It's not like I sit around all day doing nothing. I do own the largest shipping company in the state." He said, rolling his eyes and shutting the computer. "Managing a business is a very demanding task. One that your job as a little publicist isn't even comparable to."_

 _He stood up and walked to the kitchen, leaving the mess in the living room untouched. Anger sparked in her and she stomped after him._

 _"Anna, stop stomping around like a toddler who didn't get her way." He said, reaching for a bottle of wine and a couple glasses. "You write about products and events, how is that even comparable?"_

 _"Excuse me, sir, it's very demanding." She stated, glaring at him.._

 _"I'm sure." He mused, pouring them both some wine and offering her one._

 _"I'm not cleaning your mess." She said, refusing the glass._

 _"Neither am I, so why don't you just save us some time and arguing and just do it like a good girl." He said, setting her glass back down before adding. "Just think of it as practice for when you become my wife."_

 _He smiled gently and reached out to cup her chin. As he leaned in for a kiss, she abruptly pulled away._

 _"No. You're an adult and you need to pick up after yourself." She persisted._

 _Anger flashed in his eyes and his grip on her face tightened._

 _"Ow, Hans, you're hurting me." She said._

She shuddered at the memory, reminding herself that he wasn't here and she was safe.

— — — — — — — — — —

The restaurant hadn't change on bit in the past three years she'd been gone. Other than the fact that for the middle of the day, it wasn't busy at all. She frowned at it, hoping that their sales were doing alright, as she hopped off her bike and pushed the kickstand down with her foot before going inside.

"Is that who I think it is?" A portly female from behind the counter piped up. "Kai! Look! Anna's here!"

"Well, as I live and breathe, do my eyes deceive me Gerda?" Kai said coming out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel. "It's good to see you."

"It's just me, guys." She said with a smile, stepping up to embrace them both before sitting down at the counter.

"I'll get your order up right away." Gerda said.

"But I haven't or—" Anna started, but Gerda waved her words off.

"You came in here every weekend for three years before you left. I still remember." She said with a smile. "Elsa orders just about every weekend now."

Anna smiled, glad that her sister didn't shut herself away after she left; as she thought she might do.

A slowly growing noise started building up behind her, and she turned to look out the windows behind her. A couple firetrucks had pulled up into the parking lot, along with a few police cars. Briefly, her head whipped back around to the kitchen, wondering if something was on fire. However, when her eyes and nose didn't see or smell anything off, she looked back outside, watching the people exit their vehicles. Her eyes widened as she noticed a blonde individual climb out of the closest firetruck. A couple of the men clapped him on the back and they looked happy with him.

Kristoff.

Her head immediately whipped around and she attempted to block her face from the door, and people, as they entered and made their way to the back corner of the room and sat down. For the longest time she'd had a massive crush on Kristoff, but it hadn't ever gone anywhere except for casual flirting. Then Hans came along and Kristoff had distanced himself from her and their friendship had fallen apart. It hurt to think about, since he was the person she had leaned on when her parents died and Elsa had seemed to shut her out as well.

She focused diligently on the counter in front of her, intently avoiding her want to look sideways and see Kristoff. At first she attempted to listen to their conversation, which involved them coming from a fire that they put out, but soon their words got quieter and she found herself wondering why. She wished her order was done already.

Don't look Anna, don't look… She thought to herself, trying very hard.

But she couldn't stop herself and she turned her head slightly and peeked over at the corner. Most of the people over there were looking between her and Kristoff, whom she had made eye contact with. She can feel her face heat up and she whips her head back around, glaring down at the counter.

Stupid, stupid. She thought.

She then heard Kristoff excuse himself from the table and she felt her heart rate increase.

No, please don't come over here, this is too embarrassing. She prayed hard.

"Hey, Anna. It's good to see you." Kristoff said, leaning against the counter to her right. She startled slightly at his voice, but covered it with a smile.

"H-hey, yeah." She stammered, "You too."

"What brings you back here?" He asked, "I thought you moved upstate and got married?"

"Well, I'm back." She said, her voice tight at the reminder of why she'd returned.

Kristoff seemed to realized that he hit a nerve and he attempts to reach out in an apologetic manner. Anna recoils as if he'd burned her. She mentally cursed Hans for making her recoil from Kristoff. She knew he'd never hurt her, or at least she thought the same of Hans and here she was… could she actually trust him?

"Whoa, sorry…" He said, pulling back sadly, "I just… it's good to see you."

He gave her a sad smile, and she mentally sighed at being unable to be upset with him before giving him a smile in return.

"It's good to see you too, Kristoff." She said, just as Gerda returned from the kitchen with Anna's order all bagged up.

She smiled at the woman and picked up her food, before returning her gaze back to Kristoff.

"I should go…" She said gently.

He looks a little disheartened, but nods and steps away from her.

"Maybe I'll see you around more?" He asked.

"Maybe, bye Kristoff."

"Bye… Anna."


End file.
